A Ukrainian soldier firing a howitzer near the front lines. EPA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian soldiers are active in Russia’s Belgorod region. Speaking in a video address on Monday night, he said Ukrainian forces are carrying out operations along the Russian border. He called these actions fair and said war should return to where it began.
Zelensky also mentioned the presence of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. Ukraine briefly took control of some areas there during a past offensive, but Russia has now regained most of that land.
He explained that the main goal of these missions is to defend Ukraine’s border regions—especially Sumy and Kharkiv. He added that these actions help reduce the pressure on Ukrainian forces fighting further east, mainly in the Donetsk region.
Russian officials had already reported that Ukraine tried to cross into Belgorod last month. Russia claimed that all such attempts failed. However, Ukrainian officials had not directly confirmed this until now.
Zelensky thanked several military units in his speech, including the 225th Assault Regiment operating in the Belgorod region. He praised their bravery, saying, “Well done, guys! I’m proud of each and every one who is fighting for Ukraine!”
This marks the first time Zelensky clearly said that Ukrainian troops are operating inside Belgorod. Earlier, on March 18, he had only hinted at such operations when asked about Russian claims of failed Ukrainian advances in the area. Back then, he simply said, “There is an operation there.”
Russia claimed it had stopped Ukrainian troops from advancing towards the villages of Demidovka and Prilesye. But some Russian bloggers reported active fighting inside Demidovka, which lies just two kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
A U.S.-based think tank also said on March 21 that Ukrainian troops had recently moved forward in Belgorod. They noted that Russian military bloggers believed Ukrainian forces had taken positions near Demidovka and Prilesye. However, these reports remain unconfirmed.
More recently, those same Russian bloggers have said Ukrainian forces are pulling back from Demidovka.
The scale of Ukraine’s operation in Belgorod seems smaller than in Kursk. In Kursk, Ukrainian troops managed to take several villages, including Sudzha, which is a major local town.
Zelensky and his top military leaders have said these cross-border attacks help distract Russia. They say it forces Moscow to send more troops away from Donetsk, where heavy battles continue. Russia has been slowly gaining ground in Donetsk.
Some experts believe Ukraine may be planning to use its hold on parts of Belgorod or Kursk as leverage in future peace talks. These talks, encouraged by the United States, could involve swapping territories held by each side.
However, not everyone supports these tactics. Analysts in Ukraine and Western countries worry about the risks. They point to high numbers of Ukrainian casualties and challenges in keeping weapons supplied.
